A test for sailors at the Rolex Miami OCR

Second overall in men's 470: Mathew Belcher, Malcolm Page, AUS 11

When US Sailing’s Rolex Miami OCR returns to Coconut Grove this week for its 23rd annual edition, top athletes from around the world will be using it as an opportunity to jump-start ambitious sailing goals for 2012, not the least of which, for some, is participation in this summer’s London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

With racing scheduled from Monday, January 23 through Saturday, January 28, the six-day Rolex Miami OCR is the second of seven 2011-2012 ISAF Sailing World Cup regattas and features elite-level competition in the classes selected for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. At the close of registration last week, 532 sailors representing 44 countries had registered.


Brazil's Robert Scheidt is the lead skipper in the Star fleet after 7 races

With 82 boats registered, the Laser class promises not to disappoint as the typically largest fleet at the Rolex Miami OCR. “It’s going to be fun to watch these guys fight it out for their Olympic Trials,” said Rob Crane (Darien, Conn., USA) who is coming off a jam-packed 2011 schedule that culminated with him winning an Olympic berth for the U.S. team after pulling off amazing 1-2 finishes on the last competition day in Perth to beat out his teammates for the spot.


Dutch Laser Radial sailor Marit Bouwmeester

As always, the Star class is shining with world-renowned champions, and perhaps the best-known names attending are two-time Olympic gold medalists Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada (Brazil), who just wrapped up 2011 with their second straight title at the Star World Championships (as part of the ISAF Sailing World Championships in Perth).


Canadian Laser sailor Michael Leigh

The Rolex Miami OCR is organized by the United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for sailing, which provides leadership for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US Sailing is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. US Sailing offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics.


470 Men's Fleet racing in front of the Miami skyline

Photos By: Rolex / Daniel Forster